Friday, June 13, 2014

A Fish Named Glub by Dan Bar El -- OPTIONAL

Bar El, Dan A Fish Named Glub, illustrated by Josée Bisaillon. PICTURE BOOK. Kids Can Press, April 1, 2014. $16.95. Content: PG

When Glub the fish finds himself in a bowl in a diner, he has no idea where he is, or what's going on. All he knows is that he's lonely. As he ponders big questions about life, such as who he is, where he comes from, and what he needs, the diner begins to fill with customers. Then, completely out of the blue, Glub discovers he can blow magical bubbles that show pictures. Suddenly everyone in the diner begins dancing, his friend behind the counter finally lands the girl of his dreams, and Glub is able to go back to the ocean and find a friend of his own.

Yes. It was exactly as random as my synopsis makes it sound. It was also extremely wordy, with a lot of characters, and the plot was very uneven. The first half was hard to follow and boring, and the second half was even harder to follow and rushed, so by the end I was left scratching my head and wondering what, exactly, had happened. This might work for children who enjoy pondering life's questions or who are fans of fish or of Bisaillon's quirky, colorful illustrations. Otherwise, small library budgets would likely be better spent on other stories.

EL -- OPTIONAL. Reviewer: Caryn

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